OK woman arrested in Arizona on money laundering charges

$113,000 was found inside a Gucci brand handbag. (Source: Yavapai County Sheriff's Office)

PRESCOTT, AZ (CBS5) -

An Oklahoma woman was arrested on money laundering charges during an Arizona traffic stop Wednesday.

A K-9 deputy with the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said he observed a moving and equipment violation and pulled over a vehicle driven by 32-year-old Janelle Mills on Interstate 40 westbound at about 7:15 a.m.

Mills indicated she was heading for northern California and appeared extremely nervous, the deputy said.

The deputy's K-9 partner alerted to the driver's side door panels. The deputy then opened the trunk lid and smelled marijuana, according to YCSO.

Clear plastic packages containing nearly $113,000 were found in a Gucci-brand handbag inside the trunk. The Gucci bag matched a bag belonging to Mills found in the passenger compartment, sheriff's authorities said. Additional bags stored inside the trunk area all exhibited the strong odor of marijuana, YCSO said.

The K-9 was later deployed in a controlled test utilizing 3 matching boxes with one hiding the seized currency. The K-9 alerted on the box containing the currency indicating a drug/narcotics odor and association with those handling such contraband, YCSO said.

Mills was booked into jail on one count of money laundering and was released on a $30,000 bond.